1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to backup of data stored in mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, mobile communication devices such as mobile phones have been improved in their processing capacity and communication capacity. As a result of such improvements, mobile communication devices are now capable of performing a various types of processing and used for various purposes. For example, camera-equipped mobile phones can be used for taking pictures of friends of users and landscapes while traveling, and saving the pictures such that the users can view the pictures anytime. With camera-equipped mobile phones, it is also possible to exchange data of saved still images and moving pictures among the users, using a communications technology, such as infrared communication. The data saved by the users themselves often reflects the users' personal connections, users' preference, and so on. Therefore, such data is valuable especially for the users concerned with the data.
However, as usually carried about by the users, mobile communication devices are vulnerable to unforeseen circumstances, such as loss due to users' carelessness. If a user loses a mobile communication device, this also means that the user loses the valuable data.
To prevent data from being lost in unforeseen circumstances, techniques for backing up data that is stored in a mobile communication device are widely used.
For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 listed below disclose a technique for transferring data stored in a mobile phone to a server setup in home or the like, when charging the mobile phone.
Also, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for performing transmission and reception of data between a mobile phone and a backup center via telephone lines, in order to back up text-based data such as address data whose data size is smaller than still image data and moving picture data.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open patent Application Publication No. 2003-347988;    Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-open patent Application Publication No. 2002-33798; and    Patent Document 3: Japanese Laid-open patent Application Publication No. 2000-78070.